As a daily part of human life, technology requires the young generation to acquire a set of knowledge, work skills and habits that they can apply in everyday life. In the Czech Republic, topics focused on technology, skills development and practical activities are part of the basic schools’ curriculum (ISCED 1, 2) mostly as an option, which seems insufficient in view of the current educational needs and technological development. In addition, in recent years, technical education has not received sufficient attention in schools in terms of personnel and material equipment. The use of computers has been gaining more traction, but craft skills need to be developed too.

For further technical development of society and its industry, automation and digitalization—and above all, the necessity to develop technical thinking and creativity—need to be in focus. The curriculum change intended by the latest Long Term Plan should thus include support for technical education. As part of the Framework Educational Program for Basic Education (FEP BE), there is a plan to create an individual educational area People and Technology.

As the new concept of technical education needs to be thoroughly prepared (in order to be effective in terms of objectives and methods, as well as attractive in terms of content), the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports has enabled the pilot testing of the Development of Technical Thinking, Technical Creativity and Practical Activities project.

The general aim of the pilot project is to integrate technical education into the curriculum of the basic school, which will provide sufficient space for the development of pupils' inventive thinking, including the realization of their ideas—not only with technical kits, but also with traditional technical material. Both the traditional approach of manual skills of pupils and the use of modern technologies will be supported. The term engineering thinking is also used in this context.

Education faculties are involved in the pilot verification as methodologists. The main objective of the pilot project is to prepare comprehensive data for subsequent experimental verification of the content, methods, forms and organization of education of the new educational area People and Technology.

Source: Eurydice Czech Unit